5 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health This May

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And while we spend so much energy thinking about our kids (their feelings, needs, and growth), this one is about YOU.

Parenting is beautiful and exhausting and it comes with a huge mental load. Many of us push through the years without pausing to ask: how am I actually doing?

Here are small steps you can consider to check in with yourself this month.

1. Name what you're feeling

When things feel like too much, try naming the emotion. Acknowledging at a rational level puts you back in the driver seat.

2. Don’t measure yourself against someone else's highlight reel

We've all scrolled through someone’s photos and felt like we’re coming up short. That’s one of my flaws. Now, I repeat to myself that I don’t know the whole story and I’m just happy for them to experience something good.

3. Find your one non-negotiable

A walk before dinner. Coffee before the house wakes up. Ten minutes with a book. Pick one small thing that belongs entirely to you and protect it like a meeting you can’t reschedule.

4. Get specific when you ask for help

When someone offers, tell them exactly what would help: a meal, an hour to yourself, someone to just listen without jumping to solutions. The people who love you want to show up so help them do it.

5. Know your triggers

Hunger, a certain situation, or a long week at work can make you more irritable. When you understand your patterns, you can get ahead of them instead of cleaning up after them.

You can't wait for things to calm down before you start taking care of yourself. The chaos isn't temporary, it will last for a few years.

Mental health isn't a destination. It's something you tend to, a little at a time. Especially on the hard days.

Be kind to yourself and the ones around you. 🫰